TY - JOUR
T1 - Neurological examination of preterm infants a term equivalent age
AU - Ricci, Daniela
AU - Romeo, Diego
AU - Haataja, L
AU - Van Haastert, Ic
AU - Cesarini, Laura
AU - Maunu, J
AU - Pane, Marika
AU - Gallini, Francesca
AU - Luciano, Rita Paola Maria
AU - Romagnoli, Costantino
AU - De Vries, Ls
AU - Cowan, Fm
AU - Mercuri, Eugenio Maria
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - BACKGROUND: We previously reported the neurological findings of the Dubowitz neonatal examination in a cohort of 157 low-risk preterms born between 25 and 33 weeks gestational age (GA) and examined at term equivalent age (TEA). Median and range of scores were wider than those found in term-born infants and preterms showed a different neurological behaviour in specific items. However, the cohort number was too small to draw any definitive conclusion about the distribution of findings.
AIMS: We provide normative data from a low-risk cohort of 380 preterm infants; we also assess the findings and their relationship to motor outcome in preterms with major cranial ultrasound (US) abnormality.
STUDY DESIGN: We assessed, at TEA, 380 low-risk preterms born <35 weeks gestation (range 25-34.9, median 29) with normal 2 year motor outcome and 85 preterm infants with major US abnormality.
RESULTS: At TEA low-risk preterms had less flexor limb tone, poorer head control but better visual following than term-born infants. For 28/34 of the neurological items the range and median scores were similar across gestational ages. In infants with major US lesions the range and median scores differed from low-risk preterms in 20/34 items; 40% of infants developing a diplegia and 80% developing a tetraplegia had >7 items outside the 90th centile; all infants with >12 items outside the 90th centile developed a tetraplegia.
CONCLUSIONS: We provide reference values for the neurological examination of low-risk preterms at TEA. In infants with major US abnormality the number of items outside the 90th centile was an indicator of outcome severity.
AB - BACKGROUND: We previously reported the neurological findings of the Dubowitz neonatal examination in a cohort of 157 low-risk preterms born between 25 and 33 weeks gestational age (GA) and examined at term equivalent age (TEA). Median and range of scores were wider than those found in term-born infants and preterms showed a different neurological behaviour in specific items. However, the cohort number was too small to draw any definitive conclusion about the distribution of findings.
AIMS: We provide normative data from a low-risk cohort of 380 preterm infants; we also assess the findings and their relationship to motor outcome in preterms with major cranial ultrasound (US) abnormality.
STUDY DESIGN: We assessed, at TEA, 380 low-risk preterms born <35 weeks gestation (range 25-34.9, median 29) with normal 2 year motor outcome and 85 preterm infants with major US abnormality.
RESULTS: At TEA low-risk preterms had less flexor limb tone, poorer head control but better visual following than term-born infants. For 28/34 of the neurological items the range and median scores were similar across gestational ages. In infants with major US lesions the range and median scores differed from low-risk preterms in 20/34 items; 40% of infants developing a diplegia and 80% developing a tetraplegia had >7 items outside the 90th centile; all infants with >12 items outside the 90th centile developed a tetraplegia.
CONCLUSIONS: We provide reference values for the neurological examination of low-risk preterms at TEA. In infants with major US abnormality the number of items outside the 90th centile was an indicator of outcome severity.
KW - Neurological examination preterm infants
KW - Neurological examination preterm infants
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/22929
M3 - Article
SN - 0378-3782
SP - 751
EP - 761
JO - Early Human Development
JF - Early Human Development
ER -